1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable, collapsible furniture such as might be used for camping, sports events, or furnishing in casual areas of the home. More particularly, the folding chair relates to hinged frame chairs with foldable fabric webs which fold to compact size for storage and transport.
2. General Background
Folding chairs are used in a wide variety of applications whenever seating must be compacted for transport or storage and erected for use in different locations. Folding chairs have proven useful for such activities as camping, viewing parades, and extra seating abut the home. Portable folding chairs allow persons of advanced age or those with medical infirmities greater mobility and enjoyment in attending activities away from home simply because personal seating is available when desired.
Many types of folding chairs have been developed in the past but have proven to be less than satisfactory due to their uncomfortable nature when erect. Many chairs have small seat or back surfaces which make sitting for even short periods uncomfortable. Often seat and back surfaces of folding chairs are perched upon small base frames which place the occupant in peril of capsize with even the slightest movement. Folding chairs are also difficult to erect or collapse without considerable awkward time consuming effort by one or more persons. Folding chairs which manage to overcome these disadvantages usually fold into unusual shapes which are difficult to transport or store due to their size or loose dangling components. The geometric configuration of a number of folding chairs also fails to allow the use of materials of sufficient size and shape to prevent even slight overloading, unavoidable misuse, or wear from severly damaging the folding or seating characteristics of the chair.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,977,766 teaches the use of a single standard to support the seat and back of the chair. This allows for an awkward seating position due to the manner in which the back must be positioned over the seat. The single standard design further requires that the folded chair be of considerable length for storage and of unstable geometric design.
The Arnold U.S. Pat. No. 2,871,921, entitled "Collapsible Folding Chair," shows a director-type chair having a fabric-type seat having A-frame-type side portions. The French Patent No. 1,112,257 shows a chair having four cross brace frames. Other patents which show generally chair constructions include the Bauer U.S. Pat. No. 1,808,201; the Harber U.S. Pat. No. 2,638,970; the Moreland U.S. Pat. No. 2,820,509; the Crandall U.S. Pat. No. 398,943; the Dryden U.S. Pat. No. 3,000,667; the Watkins U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,065; the Roher et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,520; the Connor U.S. Pat. No. 2,192,672; the McQuilkin U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,385; and the Lorenz U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,564.
The above paragraph lists patents which were cited during the prosecution of the parent application of this application, U.S. Ser. No. 818,213, filed Jan. 13, 1986, and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,201, issued Jan. 5, 1988.